So, although we wanted to avoid most of the “touristy” stuff (statue of Liberty, Empire state building, too much time in Time square, etc ) one thing I knew we HAD to do was see a good view of the city. I did some research and found out the best view by far was the TOP OF THE ROCK aka Rockefeller Center Observation Deck! Although tickets were a bit pricey (40 bucks) it’s worth it for this view. We got there right at 9:30 when our tickets were scheduled for and I was surprised to see that they were very lenient on ticket times and didn’t really care when you scheduled it for. #chillAmericans Anyway, we headed up to the observation deck to see this incredible view…

Also, fun fact, my friend Camryn (who we stayed with) works INSIDE the Rockefeller center!! (Which is right across the way from Radio City music hall!)

WELCOME TO THE TOP OF THE ROCK!! Also, how great was this…it was my friend Taryn’s bday this day!! perfect way to celebrate her 28th!

THIS VIEWWWWWWW!!!! AHHHH!!!! Ok pro tip…the observation deck has THREE levels. The first level is where everybody congregates. The gift shop is there, elevators, benches to sit, etc. It’s madness and crazy so all you have to do is take the escalator up to the second level which offers an even BETTER view. And the best part of all…at the second level there is a staircase that leads you up to the THIRD level!! And if someone stand at the third level, looking down at someone on the second level…you get a shot like THIS…

Crazy right?? And best part is…no one is up at the higher levels!!! It’s the best photospot by far.

Empire state building!

Ok, so after our amazing Top of the Rock experience, we went to one area I was so excited to see..S O H O !!!!

Our first stop in SOHO was MAMAN, a very cool coffee shop/cafe that has the cutest aesthetic.

I mean, look at this spread.

Coolest/coziest interior award.

Emi and I opted for the corn and potato soup which came with a grilled cheese sandwich YUMMMMM. It was so filling and delicious!

Attached to the cafe is the cutest shop! Filled with Brooklyn made candles, baby clothes and toys imported from France, Maman cups and mugs.

It wouldn’t be SOHO without a lady walking in sparkling knee high boots.

SOHO is a really dope area full of High fashion mixed with old antique looking buildings. Like this popular Corner Deli with a giant YSL advertisement atop. Oh…New York.

NEXT STOP… MELODY EHSANI this really amazing Jewelry store with an entirely pink interior. Her jewelry is crazy, funky…and very well priced! I was actually tempted to buy the LA earrings haha! But I held back knowing she actually has a store in LA too!

UP NEXT…SATURDAYS SURF NYC. This is a brand I’ve been following for a while now. They’re based out of NYC but also have strong following in Japan. Their shop/coffee shop in Daikanyama is actually one of my favorite places in all of Tokyo, so getting to see their shop in SOHO was A DREAMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!

Their shop in SOHO reminded me a lot of the Tokyo one. Narrow, minimalistic, with a space out back to sip on your coffee. VERY COOL. I’m just waiting for them to come to LA.

Emi and I cruised around SOHO all afternoon and I quickly declared it *MY FAVORITE PART OF NEW YORK CITY* simply because it was home to some of the greatest stores EVER. Here are two more examples…

TOMORROWLAND and …MOUSSY!!!!These two stores are insanely popular in Japan, with stores all over the place! So you could imagine my excitement when I found out they both have stores in SOHO!!!! This is crazy because I checked their websites and found out, their NYC shops are their only shops stateside. WOAHHH. I love this about New York…it truly is a city where you can get a taste of the whole world in one place.

Anyway, seeing TOMORROWLAND and MOUSSY solidified my love of SOHO and I was just in heaven the whole day.

When high fashion meets the streets.

The glory of SOHO continues with SEZANNE, an incredible French brand making it’s name stateside with its UHHHMAZING exterior design and beautiful shoes/bags/etc.

Also, they offered us snacks and tea inside AND had a free PHOTOBOOTH. OK dream.

It wouldn’t be a trip to SOHO without seeing my most recent place of employment…EVERLANE! It was really cool finally seeing the NY store on Prince street after visiting the store in SF this year and working for them at the Grove.

They were offering up HOTCOCOA!!! amazing.

Also, a few blocks away from the Prince street Everlane store is the ReNEW experience store where Everlane is hosting just their ReNEW collection, which is all their pieces made of recycled material. SUPER COOL and home to my favorite Everlane item of all…the ReNEW Fleece sweatshirt made of recycled plastic bottles. I have to give a round of applause to Everlane’s retail design team because all their stores are STUNNING, especially this one.

So, as Emi and I were cruising the streets, we stumbled upon this guy taking photos behind Dean & Deluca. He was standing there with this INCREDIBLE camera and I just had to stop and see. He said he’s been doing street photography for 8 years or so and uses this super old school film camera to shoot. His photos were some of the best portraits I have ever seen and I immediately knew I wanted him to snap a shot of us.

Look at that beautiful camera! Not to mention this guy was super friendly, cool, and after taking our photo he casually tucked in under his coat and I said, “oh, is that your darkroom?” and he said, “YEP!” hahaha.

After SOHO, we took the train to CHELSEA to stop by a few places.

We briefly stopped by the Chelsea market…where we ran into a ETSY craft show and I ended up buying two incredible silver rings!! … and then we had to head out quick to go to dinner with my friends for Taryn’s birthday!

We had dinner in Chinatown at HOMETOWN HOTPOT &BBQ which has a really really good dinner buffet. Since it was Taryn’s birthday it was free for her! Which was a win win.

We walked back to Camryn’s place after, which was a good way to walk off all the Hot Pot we consumed haha!

And to end with some iphone pics from the day…

Lessons learned:

-SOHO is the best part of New York City.-The Everlane ReNew fleece in black is 100% worth it.-The Hotpot in Chinatown rules.-Vintage cameras will forever be cool.